Singapore President S R Nathan visits
the ASEAN Secretariat, 21 March 2006

President S R Nathan of the Republic of Singapore arrived at the ASEAN Secretariat to a warm welcome on the morning of 21 March 2006. The President’s visit to the Secretariat was part of his state visit to Indonesia from 19-23 March 2006. He was met by Ong Keng Yong, the Secretary-General of ASEAN, and introduced to several Jakarta-based ASEAN Ambassadors, the Director-General of ASEAN-Indonesia and representatives of the ASEAN Women’s Circle (AWC).

President S R Nathan arrived at the ASEAN Secretariat

As 2006 has been designated as ASEAN Environmental Year, secretariat officials briefed the President on ASEAN’s initiatives on the environment, and disaster management and emergency responses. The one-hour visit concluded with a tour of the ASEAN Gallery where the President presented a bronze sculpture titled ‘Harmony’, a work of Singaporean sculpture Sun Yu Li, to be placed in the ASEAN Gallery.

President S R Nathan met with the representatives

of the ASEAN Women's Circle (AWC)

President Nathan is the third head of state/government to visit the ASEAN Secretariat in the past five years. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines visited in January 2002 and November 2001 respectively.